Need an update on that report? Have a question about tomorrow’s meeting? Write an email! Straight-forward right? But not all emails are created equal, of course: Sending over an updated presentation is much different than inquiring about lunch plans. So how do you make sure your emails don’t get lost in the shuffle? Here are a couple of tips.

Be Clear and Concise

Don’t waste words. Important questions or requests should be evident within the first few sentences. Otherwise, you risk ambiguity and/or losing your reader’s attention.

Know Your Reader

Are you emailing a coworker you’ve known for years, both professionally and personally? Or are you contacting a senior manager you’ve never talked to before? Different audiences require different approaches, and in work environments, professional, straightforward language (no jokes!) should be your default.

Timing Matters

Do you know what most people do around lunch and end of day? Think about lunch and their plans after work. Being aware of when you send an email can help set expectations for getting a response.

What constitutes the “perfect” resume? Should you load up on content, with descriptive prose trumpeting your qualifications? Or do you go the aesthetically-pleasing route with elegant fonts, customized bullet points and special parchment imported from Italy? As important as the details are, however, don’t forget the most critical ingredient in getting seen: clarity!

This is particularly important as some posit that recruiters spend just six seconds before making the initial “fit or no fit” call on a candidate. Though that seems fast, consider the number of applicants recruiters could potentially sift through in a day—anyone with access to an Internet connection could forward along a resume. If it takes more than a few moments for a recruiter to find what he’s looking for, he’ll move on—why waste precious on one resume when there are possibly dozens more to go through?

So when creating or updating your resume, while the little touches can make you stand out, don’t lose sight of the big picture—the recruiter needs to see what you’re talking about first before you can impress.